Compressible infusion package



July 31, 1962 H. o. IRMSCHER CQMPRESSIBLE INFUSION PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 21, 1960 ArraRWEi S July 31, 1962 H. o. IRMSCHER 3,047,397

COMPRESSIBLE INFUSION PACKAGE Filed Sept. 21, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 flllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllIlllllllhfllllllllllll IN VEN TOR. flan: 0. #9756457? United States Patent Office 3,047,397 Patented July 31, 1962 3,047,397 COMPRESSIBLE INFUSION PACKAGE Hans 0. Irmscher, Elmont, N.Y., assignor to Nat1onal Tea Packing Company, Inc., Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New York 4 Filed Sept. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 57,564 2 Claims. (Cl. 9977.1)

This invention relates to a compressible infusion package.

The prime object of my present invention is directed to the provision of an infusion package such as a tea bag and package therefor, embodying the following structural and functional properties in combination:

'(1) The infusion bag is provided with a wrapper embracing the same for packaging the bag for box-packaging, storage and handling uses;

'(2) the said packaging wrapper is structured to serve as a hand-hold for brewing of the bag and to then serve as a means for compressing the infusion bag to expel or drain off the brewing liquid residue from the bag; and

(3) The bag and wrapper assembled as a unitary package, are detachably attached together in such a way as to permit the wrapper to be readily detached from the bag for its hand-hold and bag compressing uses.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, my present invention relates to the compressible infusion package as hereinafter sought to be defined in the claims and taken together with the description of the following specification and accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the infusion package shown during a step in its formation;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the infusion package in assembled condition;

FIG. 3 is a view thereof shown on an enlarged scale and taken in section in the plane of the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view showing the detachment of the wrapper from the infusion bag;

FIG. 5 is a view thereof illustrating the then use of the infusion bag ready for a steeping operation; and

FIG. 6 is a view of the same depicting the use of the package for compressing the infusion bag to expel the brewing liquid therefrom.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings and having reference first to the assembly views of FIGS. 2 and 3, the infusion package of the present invention comprises an infusion bag such as a tea bag B, a packag ng wrapper W embracing the same and a suspend ng string S connecting the bag B and the wrapper W in such a Way as to accomplish the triple functions above referred to, mainly (1) attaching the wrapper to the bag so as to form an enveloping package therefor; (2) the wrapper being assembled to the bag in such a way as to permlt the wrapper to be readily detached from the bag; and (3) the wrapper when so detached being then capable of serving as a hand-hold for the brewing of the bag followed by then serving as a means for compressing the sides of the bag to expel or drain off the brewing liquid therefrom.

The bag B may be any shaped infusion bag such as a tea bag and, as shown, comprises a tea bag of the type disclosed in my Patent No. 2,571,138 of October 16, 1951, comprising bag faces 10 and 11 formed of a filter sheet material folded to form an expandible end 12, the said faces being adhesively secured together at the bag sides 13 and 14 and at the other bag end 15, the bag sides 13 and 14 being also preferably crimped as shown. The bag B contains tea leaves 16.

The wrapper W comprises a piece of sheet material formed into two wings 17 and 18 free from each other at one of their ends, such as the bottom ends 17 and 18', and hinged together as at 19 at their other and opposite ends. The said wrapper W is sized so that its wings 17 and 18 embrace the faces of the tea bag B in the manner clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings. The wrapper W is provided with a hole 20 at or adjacent its hinge 19 and the Wing ends 17 and 18' thereof are formed respectively with the apertures 21 and 21' and with the through slits 22 and 22 communicating with said apertures.

The suspending string S connects the wrapper W with the bag B in the following ways:

One end 23 of the string to which a tab 24 is attached is loosely threaded through the hole 20 in the wrapper and the other end 25 of the string shown in FIG. 1 as detached (in a step of the assembling of the parts) is attached by means of the staple 26 onto the opposite sides of the package through the free ends 17', 18' of the wrapper wings and to the contiguous end .15 of the infusion bag. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the staple 26 is attached onto the opposite sides of the package to the string end 25 by stapling the string on its opposite sides to the bag end and through the registering apertures 21 and 21'. Thereby the free ends 17' and 18' of the wings 17 and 18 are attached to the bag end through the medium of the string end 25 and more particularly through the medium of both sides of said string 25 as best shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. With this construction the wrapper may be readily detached from the bag by detaching its free ends from the contiguous bag end in a manner that will be presently explained.

The triple functioning of the wrapper of this infusion package as a packaging means, as'a hand-hold for the bag and as a compressing device will now best be seen from a consideration of FIGS. 2 to 6 of the drawings;

(1) the wings of the wrapper W, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, closely embrace or envelope the bag and are held thereto both at the top as well as the bottom of the bag thus forming a secure enclosure therefor. In the unitary package thus provided the bag B is also maintained, as is desirable, in a flat condition, the tea contents being thereby uniformly distributed in the tea bag. This is particularly desirable in a tea bag of the nature disclosed wherein one end of the tea bag is of the expansion type. It will be noted in this connection that as assembled the normal bottom of the tea bag (the expansion end) is at the top of the assembly and the same is held at this end by the wrapper against expansion;

(2) When the tea bag is ready for immersion in a liquid, the wrapper W is detached from the bag B merely by being slid or slipped to the left as viewed in FIG. 4 in the direction indicated by the arrow 0. For instructive purposes the faces of the wrapper may be provided with a printed arrow index 27 to indicate the direction in which the wrapper is to be moved for detachment thereof. In the detaching step as the wrapper is slid in the indicated direction, both sides of the string end 25 are slipped through the slits 22 and 22' formed in the wing ends, the freeing of the wrapper from the bag thereby resulting. This will be clear from a study of FIG. 4 in connection with FIG. 2 of the drawings. The tea bag is now ready for the immersion or infusion step as is illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings, the wrapper W being there shown as being used as a hand-hold for the brewing step; and

3) The wrapper W is then ready to serve as a means for compressing the infusion bag to expel or drain off the brewing liquid residue therefrom. To do this the tab 24 is held in one hand of the user and the Wrapper W is moved down into the position shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings and pressure is then applied to the opposite wings of the wrapper W, as shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings, to perform the draining off function.

The structure, use and operation and the advantages of the compressible infusion package of the present invention will in the main be fully apparent from the above detailed description thereof. It will be further apparent that changes may be made in the form and design of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A compressible infusion package comprising an infusion bag containing an infusion material, a packaging wrapper embracing the same, the said wrapper comprising two wings free from each other at one of their ends and hinged together at their other and opposite ends, a suspending string connecting the bag and the wrapper, one end of said string being loosely threaded through the wrapper adjacent its hinge, the other end of said string being stapled onto the opposite sides of the package through the free ends of the wrapper wings and to the contiguous end of the infusion bag, thereby attaching said free ends of the wings to the said bag end through the medium of said string, means formed at the free ends of the wrapper Wings for permitting detachment of the wrapper, said means comprising for each wing a wing end having an aperture and a through slit communicating with said aperture, the said string being stapled to the bag end through registering apertures of said wing ends, whereby detachment of the wrapper may be eflected by merely slipping the wrapper laterally from the bag with the string being slipped through the slits in said wing ends.

2. A compressible infusion package comprising an infusion bag containing an infusion material, a packaging Wrapper embracing the same, the said wrapper comprising two wings free from each other at one of their ends and hinged together at their other and opposite ends, a suspending string connecting the bag and the wrapper, one end of said string being loosely threaded through the wrapper adjacent its hinge, the other end of said string being stapled onto the opposite sides of the bag, and means formed at the free ends of the wrapper wings for. effecting attachment of the wrapper to the bag and permitting detachment of the wrapper from the bag, said means comprising for each Wing at its free end, a wing end having an aperture, the apertures in both wing ends being in registration, the said other end of said string being stapled to the opposite sides of the bag through the registering apertures of said Wing ends, whereby the free ends of the wings are attached to the bag end through the medium of the string end and may be readily detached therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,308,241 Hogaboom Jan. 12, 1943 2,571,138 Irmscher Oct. 16, 1951 2,800,408 Pimple July 23, 1957 

1. A COMPRESSIBLE INFUSION PACKAGE COMPRISING AN INFUSION BAG CONTAINING AN INFUSION MATERIAL, A PACKAGING WRAPPER EMBRACING THE SAME, THE SAID WRAPPER COMPRISING TWO WINGS FREE FROM EACH OTHER AT ONE OF THEIR ENDS AND HINGED TOGETHER AT THEIR OTHER AND OPPOSITE ENDS, A SUSPENDING STRING CONNECTING THE BAG AND THE WRAPPER, ONE END OF SAID STRING BEING LOOSELY THREADED THROUGH THE WRAPPER ADJACENT ITS HINGE, THE OTHER END OF SAID STRING BEING STAPLED ONTO THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE PACKAGE THROUGH THE FREE ENDS OF THE WRAPPER WINGS AND TO THE CONTIGUOUS END OF THE INFUSION BAG, THEREBY ATTACHING SAID FREE ENDS OF THE WINGS TO THE SAID BAG END THROUGH 